In the notes to "Still Worth Knowing" I mentioned that The Database had 10 games with the line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0 Na5. Since one was played recently, I thought I'd present the contests.
ghostshadowrook - VeniceOdyssey
FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening
4.0-0 Na5
If anything, even less of a good idea than 3...Na5.
5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+
6...Ke8
Or 6...Ke6 7.d4 c5 8.Qg4+ Ke7 9.Bg5+ hxg5 10.Qxg5+ Ke8 11.Qxd8+ Kxd8 12.Nf7+ Ke8 13.Nxh8 cxd4 14.Nd2 b6 15.c3 dxc3 16.bxc3 Rb8 17.Rfe1 Kd8 18.e5 Nh6 19.Ng6 Bc5 20.Ne4 Bb7 21.Nxc5 bxc5 22.Rad1 Nf5 23.e6 Bc6 24.e7+ Nxe7 25.Nxe7 Rb7 26.Nxc6+ Nxc6 27.Rd5 c4 28.a4 Rb3 29.Rg5 Rxc3 30.Rxg7 Ra3 31.Rd1 Nb8 32.Rg8+ Kc7 33.a5 Rxa5 34.Rc1 d5 35.Rg7+ Kc6 36.Rg6+ Kc5 37.h4 d4 38.Rg5+ Kb4 39.Rxa5 Kxa5 40.Rxc4 Kb5 41.Rxd4 Nc6 42.Rd5+ Kb6 43.h5 a6 44.h6 Ne7 45.Rd6+ Ka5 46.Rxa6+ Kxa6 47.h7 Kb6 48.h8Q Ng6 49.Qf6+ Kb5 50.Qxg6 Kc5 51.f3 Kd5 52.Kf2 Ke5 53.Qe4+ Kf6 54.Ke3 Kf7 55.Kf4 Kf6 56.Qc6+ Ke7 57.Ke5 Kf7 58.Kf5 Ke7 59.Ke5 Kf7 60.g4 Ke7 61.Kf5 Kf7 62.Qc7+ Kf8 63.Kf6 Kg8 64.Qg7 checkmate, ctstraightedge - oirimil, FICS 2010;
Or 6...Ke7 [here Black resigned in yenalexxx - skimtnbikekayak, blitz, FICS, 2010] 7.Qh5 Kd6 8.Nf7+ Ke7 9.Nxd8 Kxd8 10.Qxa5 b6 11.Qc3 Nf6 12.d3 d6 13.f4 Ng4 14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5 Bc5+ 16.d4 Be7 17.Qc6 Rb8 18.Qg6 Rg8 19.Nc3 Ba6 20.Rf7 c5 21.Qxg4 cxd4 22.Qxd4+ Ke8 23.Rxe7+ Kxe7 24.Qd6+ Ke8 25.Qxb8+ Kf7 26.Qxa7+ Kg6 27.Qxa6 Kh7 28.Qd3+ Kh8 29.Qh3 Re8 30.Bxh6 gxh6 31.Qxh6+ Kg8 32.Qg6+ Kf8 33.e6 Ke7 34.Qf7+ Kd8 35.Qd7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - Butin, blitz, FICS, 2009.
7.Qh5+ g6
With Black's pawn on h6, this does not close out any danger.
Instead, 7...Ke7 8.Ng6+ (8.Qf7+ Kd6 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Ng6+ [10.Qf7+ Kd6 11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Ng6+ White won by ajudication, JoeDemir - dogbrother, FICS 2010] 10...Ke8 11.Nxh8 Nc6 12.Qf7 checkmate, rosti - carifano, FICS, 2010) 8...Ke6 (8...Kd6 9.Qe5+ Kc6 10.Qd5+ Kb6 11.d3 Nf6 12.Be3+ c5 13.Qf5 d6 14.d4 Bxf5 15.dxc5+ dxc5 16.exf5 Rg8 17.b4 Nc6 18.Nd2 Ka6 19.bxc5 Bxc5 20.Bxc5 Qxd2 21.Rab1 b6 22.Be3 Qxc2 23.Rfc1 Qe4 24.Rxc6 Qxc6 25.Ne7 Qc2 26.Rc1 Qxa2 27.Nxg8 Nxg8 28.g4 Nf6 29.h3 Kb7 30.g5 hxg5 31.Bxg5 Ne4 32.Be3 Rc8 33.Rxc8 Kxc8 34.Kg2 Qd5 35.f3 Qa2+ 36.Kf1 Ng3+ 37.Ke1 Qe7 checkmate, valiantknight - Monkee, FICS, 2000) 9.Qf5+ Kd6 10.Qd5 checkmate perrypawnpusher - TheTrueDamaBlanca, blitz, FICS, 2009).
8.Qxg6+ Ke7
And here Black resigned.
Instead, Divtwo - HotCaldron, FICS, 2010, continued to the same end: 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.Qd5+ Ke7 11.Qxa5 d6 12.Ng6+ Ke8 13.Nxh8 Qf6 14.Qh5+ Ke7 15.Ng6+ Kd7 16.Nxf8+ Qxf8 17.Qf5+ Kd8 18.Qxf8+ Kd7 19.Qxg8 Kc6 20.Qc4+ Black resigned,
The following game was played at FICS the day after my game against MRBarupal (see"Battle Again"). This time Black faces no mere pawn-pusher, but an actual, stronger, knight-pusher...
Knightpusher - MRBarupal
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8
The Sorensen Variation.
6.Nxc6 dxc6 7.0-0 Nf6 8.d3 Bg4 9.Qe1 Qe8 10.Be3
The moves of this game are exactly the same as those in perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, blitz, FICS, 2011. Perhaps for that reason, or perhaps for another, here Black resigned.
"Objectively," the game is still a bit better for the second player.
Denied the chance for a Jerome Gambit, and facing a foe with a strategy that had been successful against me in past games, I found a way to update an old chess strategem of my own.
perrypawnpusher - koek
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 d6
Sigh. No Jerome Gambit today: a Philidor Defense by transposition, or maybe a Hungarian Defense.
4.0-0 Bg4
Planning to gang up on my pinned Knight at f3 and cause a breakup of the pawn wall in front of my King.
5.Nc3
Going along with Black's plan.
Last year Koek and I played one game that continued 5.d4 White resigned; and another that continued 5.h3 Bh5 6.d3 Nd4 White resigned.
5...Nd4
I've been having a hard time finding games that follow this move order, but I did discover Hansen, S. - Briz, P., Denmark, 1974, that now continued 6.d3 Nxf3+ 7.gxf3 Bh3, showing the Kingside damage that I was trying to avert.
Now for something completely different.
6.Nxe5
Ah, yes, the idea from Legal de Kermeur - St. Brie, Paris 1750: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Bg4 4.Nc3 g6 5.Nxe5 Bxd1 6.Bxf7+ Ke7 7.Nd5#
6...Bxd1
Black needed to play 6...dxe5, but who could resist a "free" Queen?
7.Bxf7+ Ke7 8.Nd5 checkmate
I received a very pleasant email from Guido de Bouver of Grimbergen, Belgium, the other day,
Hello Richard,
I have been following your posts on your blog regularly.
I am not an 1.e4 player but enjoy the attacking positions in the gambit.
I have created a new blog http://blackmardiemergambit.blogspot.com/ on the Blackmar Diemer Gambit.
Please have a look - you might want to add some words on your blog and add a link, so I get some additional publicity!
Thanks for your help and keep up the good work !
Guido
Readers will see that I have added a link to Guido's web page.
After all, not everybody plays the Jerome Gambit all the time, but they still like to attack. (And if you open with 1.e4, looking for the Jerome Gambit, and your opponent plays 1...d5, you can counter his Center Counter with 2.d4 and go for the BDG!)
You should also know that Guido has written a very exciting book on the Blackmar Diemer Gambit (I have a copy, and when Chessville.com comes back online you will be able to see my review): Attack with the Blackmar Diemer, A Computer Analysis of the Teichmann, Gunderam, O'Kelly lines in the Blackmar Diemer Gambit.
International Master Gary Lane, in his "Opening Lanes" column at ChessCafe.com has written about the book "My advice if you have a love of the opening is to seek it out and buy it at the first opportunity."
According to Tom Purser, at Tom's BDG Pages, Guido is working on a second BDG volume, including the Euwe and Bogoljubow Defenses.
Readers who have access to the March 2011 issue of Chess Life are urged to turn to page 44 and take a look at Grandmaster Lev Alburt's "Back to Basics" column, titled this time around "How to Trick the Trickster". It features my Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit game against PunisherABD.
My introduction to MRBarupal was rather ubrupt: he beat my Jerome Gambit three straight times.
Since then we had met once more, and I had scored my first win.
Today's game is my second.
perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8
This is Sorensen's Variation, a solid defense and a change from the games MRBarupal and I had previously played, all of which had continued 5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3.
6.Nxc6 dxc6
I was surprised to see that Rybka 3 prefer 6...bxc6 by the tiniest bit, even though it allows 7.d4. Alonzo Wheeler Jerome is on record as preferring 6...dxc6.
7.d3
7.0-0 as in Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, USA, 1875 (1/2-1/2, 29) is probably more accurate, as it is clear that White will be castling Kingside, but it is not totally clear (depending on Black's development) that the first player has to completely forego d2-d4.
That said, after 7.0-0 Nf6 White may respond with 8.d3 (better than 8.e5 of Norton - Hallock, corr 1877), which would simply be a transposition to this game.
7...Nf6
I have had mixed success against 7...Qf6: perrypawnpusher - fortytwooz, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 29); perrypawnpusher - Lark, FICS, 2011, (1-0, 12); and perrypawnpusher - Jore, FICS, 2011, (0-1, 16).
8.0-0 Bg4
A slower game came about after 8...h6 9.Be3 Qe7 10.d4 Bb6 11.f3 Kg8 12.Nc3 Kh7 13.Qd3 g6 in perrypawnpusher - vladchess, blitz, FICS, 2011, (½-½, 46).
9.Qe1
Black's Bishops are really annoying! It was beginning to feel like my "nemesis" was taking over the game again.
9...Qe8
Instead, 9...Qe7 was seen in Lowe - Parker, corr, 1879 (1-0, 37)
10.Be3 Bd6
10...Qe7 and 10...Bb6 are slightly better alternatives, mostly because they prove to be less complicated than the text.
11.f4 Nh5
Instead, after the game Rybka 3 suggested that it was time to return the piece for three pawns: 11...Nxe4 12.dxe4 Qxe4 13.Nc3 Qxc2
analysis diagram
Here Black is a pawn up, but the uncertain placement of his King and the open lines against it give White sufficient counterplay to call the game even.
The text allows White's "Jerome pawns" to advance with malice.
12.e5 Be7 13.f5
Black resigned
I admit that I was a bit surprised at my opponent's decision, as in the past he had shown some strong tactical chops in messy situations.
It is true that after 13...Qf7 14.Nd2 Bxf5 15.g4 g6 16.gxf5 gxf5 material is even and Black's f-pawn is hanging, but after 17.Qf2 Rg8+ 18.Kh1 Qd5+ 19.Ne4 Ng7 it still has not fallen and after 20.Qg3 Ke8 21.c4 Qf7 22.Bh6 Ne6 23.Rxf5 Rxg3 24.Rxf7 Kxf7 25.hxg3 Rd8 it doesn't look like the extra pawn for White will account for much, at least according to Rybka 3 and Fritz 8.
Perhaps events off of the chess board accounted for his need to leave.
Side lines are not played as often as main lines, but it can be helpful to know how to play against (and punish) certain wanderings-away, as this can be a pleasant (and often quick) way to score points.
sainik - glaucokoltz
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.c3
This move is a decent alternative to the routine 4.0-0 in the Semi-Italian opening, one that shows up in 226 games in The Database and scores 69% for White.
4...Na5
I first covered this move when it appeared against 4.0-0 in "A Line of Play Everyone Should Know About"; and later in "Bully" and "A Hot Rocket to Oblivion". Currently The Database contains only 10 games with the 4.0-0 Na5 line, but 9 of them were won by White.
For the record, the fourth move alternative 4.Nc3 Na5 shows up in 49 games in The Database, with White scoring 86%; and 4.d3 Na5 shows up in 34 games, with White scoring 71%.
As for 4.c3 Na5, as in the current game, that shows up in The Database 88 times, with White scoring 88%.
5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke8
Black's best defense is 6...Ke6, but after 7.Qh5 his prospects are gloomy. Two possibilites: 7...Nf6 8.Qf5+ Ke7 9.Ng6+ Kf7 10.Nxh8 Kg8 11.Qxa5 Kxh8 and Black is down two pawns (although his King is safe); and 7...g5 8.d4 Nf6 (8...Qe7 9.Qg4+ Kd6 10.Ng6 followed by 11.Qf5) 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.Ng6 Rh7 11.e5+ Kc6 12.Qxf6+, etc.
7.Qh5+ Ke7 8.Ng6+ Kf6 9.e5+
This wins, as does 9.Qf5#.
9...Ke6 Black resigned
